


The Coming Out Train

by Angelred



Category: How I Met Your Mother
Genre: Don't attack me for this, How I Met Your Mother - Freeform, IDK BRO, One Shot, Ted stop being in love challenge, coming out scene, robin is trans, season 7 episode 12 didnt happen i guess??, season 7 episode 16
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24050014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelred/pseuds/Angelred
Summary: Robin has something important to tell Kevin after they get engaged.(AU in which the reason Robin can't have kids is because she's MTF.)
Relationships: Kevin/Robin Scherbatsky
Kudos: 7





	The Coming Out Train

**Author's Note:**

> I am well aware that in HIMYM canon, Robin is cisgender. This is an AU where she isn't. Do not attack me for this please. Also I guess in this that season 7 episode 12 didn't happen, not sure because I haven't thought this AU through because it's a one shot that won't be continued. Anyway, enjoy.

Robin sat on the edge of the bed, next to Kevin. She already knew what she was going to say… sort of. It wasn’t planned out in detail, and it was an actual conversation, she wasn’t reading from a teleprompter in front of a camera, though that would be much easier.

“Kevin, I need to tell you something.” She wiped her sweaty palms on her denim jeans, not making eye contact. “And… it might be hard to hear. And it’s not just one of those things that needs to be said, you need to hear it too. And I should’ve told you sooner but I didn’t and I don’t know why-”

“Robin, it’s okay,” Kevin gave her a gentle smile. “You can tell me anything.”

“Okay,” she took a deep breath. “I’m… I can’t have kids.”

Why would you say it like that? She mentally chided herself.

“Oh, Robin, I’m sorry.”

“No, I mean- That’s not what I meant. Well, it is, but that’s not the whole thing, it’s…” She looked up at him, into his eyes. She quickly looked back down. “I’m transgender.”

When she gathered enough courage to look back up at Kevin, he looked… shocked? Confused, maybe? It was hard to tell.

“I was born a boy. That’s why I can’t have kids. And that’s why my dad tried to make me a boy.”

Kevin’s expression changed to a look of sympathy.

“I know that this is a lot to process, so,” Robin sighed. “Take all the time you need. And I- I understand-”

“Robin,” Kevin smiled. “Will you marry me?”

Robin smiled the most genuinely she ever had.

“Yes.”

*

“So, my mom’s already picked a date, venue, and caterer for the wedding,” Kevin hung up his phone as he sat down next to Robin on the couch. “But nothing’s set in stone.”

Robin stared down into her blue mug, then looked up at Kevin.

“My great aunt’s gonna sing,” He sighed, looking displeased. “That’s happening.” His reactions to his mother’s wedding planning were almost funny- Correction, they were very funny, but Robin was in no laughing mood.

“Are you really okay with this?” Robin asked.

“Yeah, she’s actually got a decent voice.” He replied.

Robin smiled. “No, are you okay with everything that we… talked about?”

“Of course, Robin.” Kevin smiled with a look of fondness and tenderness in his dark eyes. “I love you.”

Robin smiled. It was really okay this time. 

“Besides,” Kevin continued. “There’s other ways to have kids, there’s adoption, surrogacy-”

“No.” Robin stopped him. “It’s not just that I can’t have kids, I… don’t want kids.”

There was an awkward pause, and Kevin looked down.

“Oh.” His smile faded, but then returned. “Okay.”

“Knowing that,” She almost felt like she was interviewing him. “Do you want to take your proposal back?”

Kevin’s hand was on top of Robin’s, and he smiled more than before.

“Will you marry me?” He asked again.

“Kevin, I love you,” She separated herself from him and set her mug down on the coffee table. “But please don’t just be the nice guy who says the right thing.”

“Robin, I wanna marry you no matter what.” Kevin said. “Assuming you don’t turn into a big fat fatty. See? Right there, don’t always say the right thing.”

(Of course he would say something offensive to justify that.)

Robin still wasn’t sure though.

“You just got a truckload of new information dumped on you-”

“Will you marry me?”

“-my feelings on kids aren’t gonna change-”

“Will you marry me?

“-haven’t you always wanted kids?”

“That was before I fell in love with you.” And it was clear that he was very in love. His puppy-dog eyes seemed familiar.

“That’s the thing! Your future always had kids in it!” Robin looked and felt distressed. “That would be a huge thing you’re giving up for me.”

Kevin didn’t say anything back.

“I just don’t think I could ever owe someone that much.” Robin added. “I’m scared that you’ll wake up in a year or ten or fifty full of regret, so… I need you to be sure, okay?” Tears threatened to spill out from her eyes, and she wasn’t quite sure that the conversation- from her perspective at least- was just about the fact she didn’t want kids. “If we get married, you will never have children. Are you really okay with that?”

Kevin paused for a moment, still holding onto Robin’s hands, then looked down.

*

After a long conversation, Robin found herself on the roof of the apartment building, smoking a cigarette. 

Ted approached behind her (because she’s leaning over, staring down at the cars, he has nowhere else to approach from.)

“Hey, you okay?” He asked as he walked up to her.

Robin looked up at Ted, about to cry. Her mouth couldn’t form the words she wanted to say, and she wasn’t even sure what those words were.  
Ted quickly took off his jacket and put it around her as she extinguished the cigarette, and she sat down on a chair, Ted stood next to her as she told the story through tears.

“I told Kevin that I’m trans, and everything was fine, and I said that we wouldn’t be able to have our own biological kids, obviously, right?” She laughed through the pain. “And he said we could adopt, or have a surrogate, but then I told him that I… I don’t want kids.” more tears fell.

“What happened then?” Ted asked. Robin stood up and started pacing around the roof.

“We talked about it.” She sighed and sniffled. “You know, I never pictured myself as- as a dad for obvious reasons but… I never pictured myself as a mom either.”

By the time Robin got to the end of the story, she was back where she started, the edge of the rooftop.

“So he un-proposed. We’re over. And I- I know it’s for the best, it’s just…” She sniffled again, holding back tears once more. “I was finally ready for something serious. He seemed like the guy to take that next step with…”

Robin was aware that those words might hurt Ted, but at the moment, she needed to let them out, and he was standing right there, and, really, nobody could take this as well as Ted could. 

“But he couldn’t look past this.” She shook her head slightly, and she knew she was not just talking about not wanting kids anymore, even if that’s the one and only reason that Kevin un-proposed. “I mean, who could?” she sighed.

“I could.” Ted said suddenly. Robin looked up at him, confused. “I love you, Robin.”

Robin knows he could. A part of her predicted this, but that part wasn’t serious. And as much as she loved Ted, she loved him as a friend, and he was supposed to be over her. If this was an attempt to make her feel better, it was an idiotic one, but she should have expected that from him. 

How are you supposed to respond to that?

Robin didn’t know.

So she just stood there in shock while they stared at each other.


End file.
